India (WOD)
In the World of Darkness, India is the home to many supernatural creatures and faction that wage war against each other since time immemorial. Many factions invaded it, bringing their own supernatural counterparts with them, forming a melting pot between the western and the eastern supernaturals (with pretty much conflicts). Recently, the sub-continent was hit by the awakening of the Ravnos Antediluvian and the following Week of Nightmares, which heralded the beginning of the End Times. Kindred of the East Unfortunately for the Quincunx, India is infested with heretics. The Face of the Gods and the Flame of the Rising Phoenix both originate here and despite the best efforts of the Chinese Cathayans to purge them, persist. They also do not follow the cardinal directions, instead using vedic astrology to determine the fate of the newly awakened Kuei-jin. The Hindu Kuei-jin do not oppose the Yama Kings the same way as in East Asia. Rather, the Yama Kings are asura, those who oppose the devi or Gods. Thus, a Hindu Kuei-jin opposes the Yama Kings in service to their deity, not because the Yama Kings are evil. That said, a Kuei-jin serving the Yama Kings is following an equally valid path, and thus not treated as akuma as in East Asia. Needless to say, the Quincunx considers this view an apostasy. The Infinite Thunder Courts are locked into an eternal conflict with their cainite counterparts that did not end with the death of three of their Bodhisattvas and the destruction of the rising demon. The threat of the Yama Kings and their minions is ever-present, akuma infiltrate the halls of the courts and the conflict between orthodox and heretic dharmic views heat up. Vampire: The Masquerade India is the ancestral home of the Ravnos clan, who have dominated the Cainite society there since the earliest cultures. Together with two bloodlines, the Daitya and Danava, the clan has adapted the caste system mortals followed, classifying every embraced mortal according to the caste his sire held. Embracing outside the caste was - and is- forbidden. India is also the ancestral home of the Nagaraja, and there is a notable presence of Salubri in the Telangana region surrounding the deserted Indian city of Golconda. The kindred of India do not believe the myth of Caine, instead ascribing themselves to the Pitris. Many legends exist who exactly the Pitris were, some tell they were the sons of Yama, who cursed them, others claim them to be demon princes slain by the gods, but immortal due to the Nectar of Immortality. Many agree, however, that the nature of vampirism is inherently demonic. A Masquerade exists in some form in India, although nearer in form to the Scarlet Screens of the Cathayans, as most Kindred have no problems posing themselves as ascetics (who exist in the millions within India). With the Week of Nightmares and the demise of the majority of the Ravnos, the Daitya and Danava have rallied many of the surviving Kindred of India behind them, in a mutual alliance against the ever-posing threat of the Kuei-jin. The raktasadhu are not the only vampires in India. Sri Lanka is the seat of the Infinite Thunders Court of Cathayan vampires, as well as the resting place of a torpid Tzimisce Methuselah named Kartarirya. The Camarilla has tried to gain a foothold there during the Victorian Era, as well as the Ashirra during the era of the Moghuls. The Tremere were particular successful, establishing the Chantry of Goa in order to study the blood magic of the natives, Sadhana. Werewolf: The Apocalypse The spirit world did not react well to the Week of Nightmares; the Gauntlet is thin and most of the umbral landscape is torn by storms. The Garou Nation is represented there chiefly by Red Talons and Bone Gnawers, but the position of the Garou is not as strong here as in the western world. Other tribes send their members, but are only able to establish themselves slowly, the most successful being the Silver Fangs from House Blood Red Crest. The Beast Courts also hold some ground here, forming one of the few locations of interaction between both groups. Recently, the Camp of Shiva arose, a mindset that disapproved of any intervening into human affairs. Gaia created the Fera not to toddle their human children, slaughtering and nurturing them are both distractions to the true purpose of the Changing Breeds and that is protecting her. India is also the ancestral home to the Nagah, whose greatest Ananata and their appointed leaders, the Sesha, reside there. The Mokole of the Makara stream also call India their home, and Bagheera and Khan have both roamed the rainforests ever since the first human civilization carved themselves from the Ganges delta. There is also a healthy population of Ratkin active there. Mage: The Ascension Two traditions, the Euthanatoi (more specifically the Chakravanti) and the Cult of Ecstasy in its various incarnations, have their roots in India and a very strong presence there. Indian mysticism is very keen and ubiquitous, weakening the technocratic paradigm. The Technocracy has reacted to this and accelerates its efforts - in cooperation with the Five Elemental Dragons- to gain control over the government of India, thus pushing industrialization forward and quicken technological advance. Indian Tradition mages are united in the Asthika, a group originally founded to preserve India’s traditions against the Muslim Invaders. They opposed any attempts to bind their Nodes into the Web of Faith and were later involved in guerilla warfare against the Portuguese and British. Most members of the Asthika are extremely nationalistic and relations with the rest of the Council of Nine are usually tense. After the Week of Nightmares and the Avatar Storm, the group has become even more xenophobic, seeing itself under siege from all sides and the rising Antediluvian as a demon summoned to destroy them by anonymous enemies. Members are the Vishnudharadhara (Celestial Choristers), Euthanatoi, Ecstatics and members of the former Electrodyne Engineers and Analytical Reckoners. With the Week of Nightmares over, mortal Shivakti cults have spread among the population that spread tales that the end is nigh and that the Kali Yuga, the present Age, will soon end. Technocrats and Traditions alike investigate in the rise of Awakenings that follow these "Revelations", and whose members more often than not do not join a tradition, but instead cluster together as a developing Craft. Changeling: The Dreaming The local Dreaming was devastated by the spirit nukes of the Technocracy. Adhene strive though its ruins, the Naraka finally freed. Hsien are most common here, as many Changelings from the west fear the cloud of disbelief that radiates from the impact crater in Bangladesh. Wraith: The Oblivion The Indian Shadowlands are fairly centered around the city of Swar. The Yellow Springs have tried to invade the Indian deadlands several times, but have been repelled every time. Demon: The Fallen India is the place were Dagon, Archduke of the Iron Legion, was called back into the world by acolytes of Lucifer. After he rebelled against his former master, Dagon went north to the city in the Indus Valley called Mohenjo-Daro. There he called himself “''Arumukam the Six-Faced''.” His own cult, the Shanmukha, deified him quickly, for he was initially fast with favor. He showed them how to build sea-faring vessels, how to read and write, and how to build better weapons with iron. The Shanmukha became both exceptional weapon-smiths and assassins alike, and they were known for the metal masks they wore to frighten others. Through this cult, Dagon exerted his influence over the rest of the pre-Indian civilization. Over time, the Shanmukha began reworking Dagon’s reliquary into a bizarre machine with seemingly no purpose and fueled on blood. It’s said that the machine had the capability to tear reality asunder once it began its ineluctable churning. Smaller simulacra of the larger machine were eventually built and placed into the world to fall into the hands of unsuspecting mortals. While the cult died out, many of the smaller machines still exist. Over the centuries, Dagon became dozens of gods and goddesses, creating an exacting charade to help control the people and wring as much Faith from them as possible. He himself was a whole part of the pantheon. When the lesser Earthbound entered the picture, Dagon brought as many of the Annunaki to him as he could find, and there he made them serve him in turn. These demons soon became like the archduke himself, invested with the contrasting characteristics of extreme rationality and unhinged insanity. Dagon’s power built steadily upward, his people excelling in both mathematics and mayhem, until Buddhism took hold in later years and the entire climate of India changed following Emperor Ashoka's conversion. Dagon never fell truly into the deep slumber that many of his western brethren suffered, instead vegetating in a half-dreaming state, still supported by Faith from some obscurer sects that hid in the multitude of Hindu sects. Fallen in India quickly discover that the Earthbound are much more present than elsewhere, but that Faith (thanks to a great variety of religions and a big population) also flows abundant. Timeline * 4000 BCE: The people of the Indus move away from animism toward a more abstract view of nature cycles. * 4000 BCE - 2800 BCE: Thanatoic and Ecstatic cults arise in India. The Akashic Brotherhood takes form in China and Tibet. Babylonian priest-scientists discover principles of geometry and astronomy, harnessing the power of mathematics and the heavens to the human will. Druidic priests and practitioners of magic raise Stonehenge in accordance with the movements of celestial bodies. *3120 BCE: The latest Kali Yuga, or Age of Iron, begins, according to Buddhist and Hindu reckoning. *3000 BCE The dawn of Indian civilization. The cities of Harrapa and Mohenjodaro are founded on the Indus. *2700 BCE: The Harappan civilization develops sophisticated cities and agriculture. The concept of deities such as Shiva dates back to this period. *2000 BCE: Nagah appear in the Indus Valley, and settle there, eventually spreading all over the world. *2000 BCE - 1500 BCE: A period of flooding and invasion in the Indus valley, caused by the invasion of the Yehnn (Aryans). They defeat the Harappan culture, but are forced to consult them to help rebuild the civilization. (Please note that Aryan Invasion Theory is not considered a valid historical theory in real life) *1700 BCE: Harrapan culture in India begins to decline. *1500s BCE: India adopts caste system. Nagah are considered to be of the two highest castes. WTA: Nagah *1500s BCE: A Sanskrit version of the Hymn of the One is (possibly) written. *1000s BCE-800 BCE: The Mahabharata and the Ramayana join the tradition of Vedic canon. The Handura, Idran, and other proto-Chakravanti cults evolve. *965 BCE-300 BCE: Himalayan Wars begin. Misunderstanding between Akashic missionaries and Hindu magi sparks feud. Reincarnation Arts ensure the feud is long and bitter. Ends through Akashic withdrawal and seclusion. *950 BCE: The Akashic Brotherhood enters India. They choose to stay in their northern camps, but are interested by the Handura, Dacoits, and other proto-Thanatoic sects. *900 BCE: The White Coumatha begins the Himalayan Wars. Plague strikes an Akashic camp. Smoke Tiger kills the Dacoit Ranjit and accuses the Dacoits of murdering those destined to oppose the sect. Dacoit Acarya Natadeva and Vajrapani Chan Ng halt hostilities. *900 BCE - 600s BCE' (or -400 BCE , or -300 BCE ): Himalayan Wars. ' *899 BCE: Varjapani sifu Chan Ng reverses his position and orders the death of all death mages along the Ganges. *850 BCE: Beginning of the Wheel of Swords. Thanatoic scholars notice that young mages seem to have vendettas against other mages they've never met, and conclude that their Avatars are reincarnating carrying the rage of their former lives. These mages - even young children - are susceptible to Infernalism. *850 BCE: Necrosynthetic magic becomes a high art among the Idran, who use it to become the Nagaraja. *679 BCE: The beginning of the Himalayan Wars, although this is contradicted by other sources. Note: This year was established by taking the date mentioned for the Night of Fana (165 years after the beginning of the War) on page 14, using other sources to determine when the Night of Fana took place, and then backdating from that point. *600 BCE:: By this year, Hinduism has branched into a number of schools. *1800s: Clouster's Purge a bloody civil war between than Khan Lord Clouster and Sultan Jampal takes place. Thirty Khan die, along with many more Kinfolk; and the war aggravates tensions between the Indians and the English. *1947: Tensions from Clouster's Purge again flare within the Khan. The conflict leads to the Nagda-Rackbur War, which ultimate decimates the Khan.and would eventually be revived in the 1940s-1950s in the Nagda-Rackbur War. References Category:World of Darkness geography